Bleached: Seireitei Daze
by MonroeFishel
Summary: What really goes on in Seireitei when ryoka aren't running wild? Glad you asked. Look through the eyes of Moren, an officer of the 8th Division. And there are numerous apperances by captains and your favorite Court of Pure Soul characters!
1. Chapter 1

It was a slow day, as usual in Soul Society. I was half-sleep in the corner of Divsion 8. Normally, a captain would've given me a hard time for my laziness, but when your captain is Shunsui Kyoraku, anything resembling work is reserved for dire times. 

Oh, I think I should tell you both my names. My formal, given one is Moren Shigen, but my nickname is what I'm known by:

"Taiki..." Ise Nanao stood in the middle of the room, looking out the window.

I rolled over a bit, growling unconsciously.

"Divsion 11 is at it again. I need you to report to to the Western section," she said in her usual stern tone. "You only need to provide support."

I gave her a hand wave and nod, feeling the chill of Nanao's presence. How Shunsui kept going after her this long was amazing to me. I lifted myself up, trying to press out the wrinkles on my black uniform, and smoothing over my short black hair. I adjusted my damaged glasses, which titled to the side. Taking on one Division 11 officer was bad enough.

They were the only division that hated the peace within Seireitei, and made sure something was going on. Nanao called them the 11-year-olds division, because they acted like they were eleven years old. I did my best to mind them, taking advice from my captain.

"There's always a way out of a fight," he told me when I first joined. "Do your best to minimize unneccessary confrontations."

He of course, told me this while on the roof of the division, lying on his back with a fellow officer playing stringed music in the background.

Back to the present for a second. I used my flash steps to get the incedent, which was fairly far away in Serietei. The lower ranked officers of division 11 liked to roam the area, messing with the unseated officers within the Gotei 13. Speaking of which, I'm the 9th seated officer. That's all on that matter.

Usually, it takes me about 13 flash steps to cross from Division 8 to my desitnation. I got there in 14, but considering step number fourteen was to stop a few yards away, I'd count it as 13.

Two burly, obviously drunken people were staggering around, swinging their katana around, shotuing every and anything they could think off.

"Moren? Good. Just help me get the bald one" Remember the instrument playing officer? Well, this is him. He's the sixth seated officer in my division, Goro Arata. He held his sword steady a bit before charging. Usually, you could knock an officer unconscious if he were drunk, or shock them out of their inibreated state. Goro chose the latter, taking a chance to use his shi kai.

"Shintou Onmi, Rakurai!" his normal silver katana sparked, taking the form of a spear. He struck the ground, sending a trail of electricity to the feet of the burly fellow. As soon as the shock reached him, he yelped a bit, hopping around before hitting the ground on his rear end.

"Ahhh..." he managed to his feet, leaning against a wall. He looked at his partner in crime, who was starting to slow down his drunken assault.

"Toro, you idiot. You're gonna ruin your uniform again." he slumped over a bit, laughing. Goro prepared his weapon again, but the now sober man placed his hand on Goro's weapon.

"Trust me, what Toro is about to do to himself will be worse what your weapon can do to him," he gave a laugh before sitting down. I kept my weapon at the ready, watching the new officers begin to back off. Toro, knelt on one knee, placing one hand on the ground.

"Aiken ... I'm not feeling ... so ... BLRRRAAAGGHHH!"

And that was that. Goro returned his zanpakuto to its normal form, and turned to me.

"Hey, thanks for having my back. I actually sent out for someone else before you." he said. "She should've bee - "

"Hey guys! I'm ready! What'd I miss?" a yellow haired girl with bright blue eyes bounded in, her sheathed zanpakuto strapped to her leg.

"Eh ... Muko," Goro said, sheathing his weapon. "It's over. Really wasn't too serious though."

"Oh. That means I can go back to my meal. See ya!" she ran back to the cafateria.

Muko Hayaban was a little aloof to say the least. But in terms of someone in Soul Society you'd want on your side in battle, she was tops on the list, even as the 5th seated officer. She and Goro came in a few classes before I did.

Muko was a slim girl with a long frame, standing six feet tall, even. She wore her long hair in a ponytail, and her uniform was a little shorter, to allow her to run faster. Shunsui affectionately refered to her as "Hayuama"

"Hmm ... middle of the day, nothing else really to do. You hungry?" I asked Goro. He shrugged a bit, then finally gave an answer.

"Sure, why not? It's not like Captain Shunsui's looking for us anyway."


	2. Chapter 2

"... looks like a little dog..." 

I looked up to the sky, letting myself relax while I lay down. Sleep was good, but allowing yourself to fall into the area between sleep and relaxation was even better. Today, due to Yamamoto's orders, all divisions had to have an activity together once a week. You know, to heighten the comradere and what not. No one within our division really minded it though.

I pointed up, laughing a bit before naming my discovery.

"That one looks like Kenpachi, all those spikes pointing out."

My discovery was met with a chorus of laughing.

"That one looks like a bowl of ... noooodles..." a long arm shot up. Muko placed her hand on her stomach. The sound of it grumbling could be heard on the rooftop.

"A little food is in order, no?" Shunsui was the first to lift himself off the shingles and stretch.

"All right, before everyone goes on their way, let's go eat." he said. Nanao was still lying on her back, looking up. For a moment, as I turned to watch her, I could've sworn I saw her crack a smile. It was short lived as she stood though.

"All right everyone, you heard the Captain. Let's hurry to the cafeteria before there aren't any seats left."

I walked with Goro, who was the same height as me, about five feet eight. He had a slightly more muscular build and spiky black hair with slanted brown eyes. His katana was a normal one, and his sheath had a neon blue lightning bolt down the side. When I first came to Division 8, he was the first one to help me out. What our division did was handle skirmishes or fights that happened to occur. We did a fairly good job of it.

The cafeteria's seats were taken, mostly by the 4th division. Captain Unohana was sitting with ... Isane Kotetsu.

Now, there were beautiful women within Serietei, but one that caught my eye was Isane. I really didn't understamd why, well, besides the obvious. We didn't come in the same class, we didn't have much in common really. Plus, she was a pretty tall female shinigami as well, even taller than Moku.

"Taiki, I guess you see her too." Shunsui said. I was wondering more on how he got to me so fast without me even sensing him than who he was talking about.

"Yo! Isane-chan!" he said, placing his hand up, waving. The silver haired vice captain of the fourth division looked up, her mouth full of noodles.

"Oh, hi!" she said before going back to her bowl.

"See Moren? That's how easy it is." he said. And just like that, he was gone. Of course, I thought to myself, you're the captain. I'm the ninth seated officer who STILL doesn't have the foggiest idea of how to release his zanpakuto. Yeah, by all accounts I'm a real catch. I furrowed my brow, glaring at my food, as if it had an answer.

"Taiki, are you brooding again? Cause you know you're not a good brooder." I closed my eyes, instantly recognizing that voice. Rora Kangeki was an officer in the largest division, the fourth. She didn't have a seat, but it didn't matter. There were so many officers that many didn't have one. The number stopped at 20, and they were semi-captains in terms of units given to them. Rora was under the 18th healing unit.

Rora was a creative, optimistic individual, who also had a gap in her teeth.She had short brown hair with big walnut-colored eyes. She was a funny girl who always found ways to make everyone's day better. She sat next to me. Out of everyone in Soul Society, she knew me the best. We both grew up together in Japan. I was four years older than her, but someway, somehow, she was one of the few people who could actually generate a conversation out of me. Needless to say, if anyone could get my attention, it was her.

I mumbled something, not even sure of what I was planning to say. Around Rora, I probably was the most alert, and actually the most honest. More probably happened spiritually inside of me when she was just sitting around with me, not even talking, than anything else. The rest of lunch was uneventuful on my side. The 4th division left, and with them, Rora.

"See ya Moren. And, quit brooding and talk to her when you get the chance," she said. That Rora, she really did know me...

The division departed, and since there was nothing else to do, I lay in the corner of the lobby in division 8, this time on the couch. Somehow, I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. I felt footsteps coming my way, and before I could react, I was staring at the tip of a blade.

"Ah ... Moren," Shunsui said, sheathing his blade. "You have an assignment today."

"Really?" usually it was Nanao giving the order, but when a captain told you about an assignment, it meant that it was a serious one.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You know about zanpakutos, right?" he asked.

"Yeah,"

"Report to Division 11. They will help you out. That is all." Shunshui hummed a tune to himself while Nanao followed him, clearing her throat.

"This isn't good." a slightly chubby shinigami spoke, standing next to me. He had brown hair, and his katana was across his waist in the front. He was taller than me, with an annoyed look on his face. He cracked his knuckles together, then looked at me.

"I'm guessing Shunsui told you about Division 11 too?" he asked.

"Yeah. You have to go to?" I asked.

"Yep. I think he said 8th rank and lower have to go." he said, walking out. I never spoke to him much, even though he was the 10th seated officer. His name was Myoto Kendo, and he had a penchant for being self-depricating and sarcastic.

"What a great day," I could hear him talking outside. "Did you think there'd ever be a day where we would HAVE to go to the death chamber?"

"Death Chamber? It's not that bad. We just need to be better trained. Thankfully, we can get away with laziness because of our captain. But this is better than nothing."

The person Myoto was talking to was the 8th seated officer, Shoukou Kiyasui. She stood five foot five, with a slim frame. She had curly chocolate colored hair and alert green eyes, and was in the running with Captain Shunsui in terms of being relaxed. They once had a contest to see who could be the most relaxed for the longest. Of course, being the captain, Shunsui has had more experience, and he easily won.

Anyway, after all that talking, we three ended up outside Division 11's arena like HQ. There were more shinigami there as well. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed. Myoto took a step back, trying to keep his balance. Shoukou closed her eyes, breathing in and out as best as she could. I was too nervous to even think about moving. Suddenly, as the impossing captain of the 11th division showed up at the door, I was slowly beginning to figure what maybe taking place.

"It's times like these when I wish I weren't a captain, so I could wipe the floor with you!" Zaraki Kenpachi bellowed. "But, I'll leave that to my guys..."


	3. Chapter 3

I sat with Shoukou and Myoto in the stands of the massive arena Division 11 used. It was announced that besides my division that was to participate, that Divisions 7 and 10 were to battle as well. The Fourth Division was on hand to treat whatever injuries that were going to occur. Just by looking in the eyes of the officers, I could tell there was going to be blood shed. 

I shivered a bit, thinking about the prospect of bloodshed, even broken bones. From the time I joined the Shinigami Academy until this point, I'd never had any serious injuries or mishaps. The closest I got to being hurt was the training I recieved in the Academy. I listened intently to another announcement, this time by the vice captain of the 11th division, Yachiru. The tiny pink-haired girl said that all of the divisions would fight against Division 11.

"Just another chance to keep the kids company, huh?" Myoto quipped, leaning back in his seat.

"All right, the first match will be ... Shoukou Kiyasui of the 8th Division against 5th seated officer Yori Daisuke of the 11th Division. The match ends at the discretion of the captains, or if another fighter gives up."

"All right guys, if I'm not back in one piece, good luck in your battles too." she said, leaping down to the arena floor. She faced a gaunt young man with long green hair and closed eyes, much like Ichimaru Gin's. He was a little taller than Shoukou, and wore a serious, almost grim expression on his thin face.

"Um, you can begin whenever you want," Kenpachi said, standing at his balcony with Yachiru and Ikkaku.

"Matowaritsutu, Daaku Mamushi," Yori said, slinging his zanpakuto around until began to lengthen and loosen. Eventually, it became a black colored whip with a metal handle. He stood with his shikai at his side, possibly waiting for his opponent to release her form. Instead, Shoukou unsheathed her katana, and held it at the ready.

"Ready when you are," she said, smiling. Yori frowned a bit, but made his move anyway. He whipped his weapon around, aiming for her ankles. Shoukou leapt a bit before spinning around - and throwing her zanpakuto at Yori. He ducked, allowing the weapon to harmlessly pass. Shoukou landed, then ran at Yori, her focus somewhere else. Yori, a bit confused, turned to get the lonely katana instead of attack.

He felt a light tap on his back as he bent down. He looked up to see Shoukou - with another zanpakuto? He didn't have much time to react as the katana swung at his face.

"Not much time to dodge," Myoto leaned forward. One successful slash later, Yori was down, holding his face. Kenpachi had a worried look in his eye, and Yachiru decided to inquire, waiting for her fellow division member to make his move.

"Ken-chan, is Snake Guy OK?" she asked, standing on the balcony. Kenpachi smirked a bit, thinking of the scar on his eye. A battle scar to be sure, he thought. If something like that were to stop you, then there was no need to fight anyway.

Yori lifted himself, letting go of his right eye, blood still spilling. He gave a faint smile, wiping the blood on his uniform, elicting cheers from Division 11.

"That a boy! Now show her what you've got!" Kenpachi shouted. I felt a little numb, watching the bloodied Yori swing his whip again, then watched as Shoukou efforlessly moved out of the way. She now held two katana, eying Yori as he prepared another strike. I began to look around the arena, speciafically at where Division Four was located. Rora was helping carry out a cot. Captain Unohana and Isane were both sitting at another balcony, probably relaxing. It looked like there were enough officers to handle whatever happened.

Yori swung the whip over his head, faster and faster, until it disappeared. Shoukou slipped one katana under the sash she wore, then unsheathed another.

"Hiraku, Katsugan..." she said. The katana glowed a soft blue, but didn't change other than that. She held it with both hands, high on her right side.

Yori swung his arm down, and to everyone's surprise, Shoukou dodged it.

"What?" I said involuntarily. Myoto shook his head.

"Her shi kai has the ability to discern the qualities of certain objects. One of those being invisible objects. It can also locate the weak points as well," he informed.

Yori found himself on the defensive, Shoukou, relaxed as ever, swung in a rythym.

"Captain, she's pretty good. You really can't tell whether she's starting or stopping." Isane commented. Unohana simply gave an agreeing smile.

Shoukou landed on her knee, then froze. Yori stumbled back a bit, breathing hard. His whip began to materialize back into view, and he was getting weaker by the second, the strike to the eye taking more out of him than he thought. He knelt a bit, not taking his eye off of Shoukou.

"Strike One, Disarm." she said, running at Yori. Yori stood up quickly, then swung his whip again. With a deft move, Shoukou glided past, swinging her weapon, causing the whip to split into may threads.

"Kenpachi," Unohana said, standing. He nodded. Yori had promise, but at this point, he didn't have much training in kidou or hand-to-hand combat. Plus, it looked like the female shinigami had him outclassed from the get go.

"All right Yori, go to the Fourth so you can get cleaned up. Nice effort." he said. His division comrades clapped, saying in so many words that they'd avenge his loss. Shoukou calmly bounded up to where Myoto and I sat. She gave a smile before sitting down, wiping some dirt off of her uniform.

"Wow," I said. "You made that look really easy."

"Yeah, and you've made it a little tougher for everyone else," Myoto added.

"What do you mean?" Shoukou asked.

"Well, you've managed to make the other guys mad. In other words, the guys that people like Moren and I have to fight." he replied. Yep, good ole Myoto. Finding the dark clouds in the blue sky.

"Myoto, calm down. From the looks of it, the higher ranked officers of the 11th division won't be fighting. They're probably new cadets anyway." I assured him. Myoto shrugged off my attempt to calm him down, then began tapping his feet impatiently.

After three battles, I began to nod off. Shoukou and Myoto were feeling the same way, with Shoukou periodically lifting her eyelids and Myoto all but snoring.

"The next match: Myoto Kendo of the 8th Division versus Sekai Naimen, unseated officer of the 11th Division."

"See?" I said. He huffed a bit, nearly stumbling before making his way to the floor. He was face to face with a burly, gruff middle-aged man with black hair.

_Maybe he doesn't know his shi kai_, thought Myoto. Somehow, on cue, the burly man gave a grin, pointing his katana at Myoto.

"Torikowasu, Sekifu." the katana shoke a bit before turning to stone. The blade grew out all ways before forming into an axe head.

_Great, juuuust great,_ Myoto thought.

"I really hope I wasn't imagining things when I had that dream last night..." he said to himself, reaching for his katana. The man swung his axe wildly without warning, shouting obscenties.

_Moren, I'm going to kill you if I'm not killed!_ thought Myoto as he turned tail and began to run. The crowd began to laugh and point. Myoto was a guy who didn't have much pride, and the combination of being snapped out of his sleep and facing a wild man with a stone axe didn't make for a calming scenario.

Shoukou supressed a smirk and I began to feel a little for him.

"Does Myoto know his zanpakuto's name?" Shoukou asked. I shook my head.

"This may be a chance for him to find out," I replied.

Myoto rounded a corner, but Sekai ran in on him at an angle, cornering him.

"Oooh, this won't end pretty," Kenpachi smiled.

Myoto held out his katana in front of him trembling, then closed his eyes. He didn't want to see anything coming.

"Die!" Sekai shouted, holding the axe over his head. Myoto suddenly dropped his katana, then looked down. The sky was reflected in his katana. Suddnely, his eyes opened.

_My dream!_ he thought. _That's it!_

"Hamon, Tonohamaru!" he shouted. His opponent however was not fazed, and swung down. His axe met Myoto's shoulder, causing a cascade of blood. Myoto was face down, but holding a green chakram with odd designs all over it. He wasn't moving, and Sekai motioned for the Fourth Division to come over.

"He can't kill him, can he?" Kenpachi said, disappointed. Ikkaku and Yachiru both shook their heads. "Shame."

As the healing unit ran over, they stopped halfway as Myoto struggled to move. He turned to see the healing unit halfway to him, staring with eyes wide with concern.

"What are you waiting for? I'm not trying to be a hero here!" he said, yelling as fresh blood escaped his gaping wound.

"Myoto..." Shoukou said, watching as the unit carried him off on a stretcher. "Taiki, I'll go check on him. I'll be sure to watch your match too, OK?"

"Sure." I said, feeling a little more nauceous. Myoto was a little bigger than me, standing six two with a heavier frame as well. If an attack like that could put him in his current state...

"Next match, Moren Shigen of the 8th Division against Rei Hanako, 4th seated officer of the 11th Division."

I didn't have much time to consider what could've happened as I made my way to the floor...


	4. Chapter 4

Wait, did he just say fourth seated officer? After Shokou had landed a lower ranked officer? 

Not much time to complain though. Ren Saki had shoulder-length black hair with red streaks running down the sides. Her uniform was also laced with three red stripes running down the side, and a tattoo of a grey cat on her neck. She was about my height, with a slender build, and wore a relaxed expression. She was known for being a bit rough at times. Even Ikkaku, a seat higher said she could be quite vicious.

Yup. I think the healing units better get ready.

After the nod from Kenpachi, Ren simply snickered, closing her olive colored eyes. I wasn't one to inquire why such things happened, but I deduced that she was confident in victory. I never took into consideration that I was fighting a female, and I unsheathed my zanpakuto.

"Do you even want to be here?" she asked, cooly revealing her katana, purposely swinging it from hand to hand, then resting it on her shoulder. I had no idea of what to say. I really couldn't say whether or not I wanted to. I was kind of -

"You're indifferent, aren't you?" she said. I still didn't respond. I was more surprised that my first real duel was in front of many people. Most of whom were the rowdy 11-year olds cheering for Ren, who seemed to be waiting for my move. I reluctantly made a first move, running at Ren from a low angle, going for her knees. She wasn't moving, but with every step it took closer, she began to smile more. And before I swung my sword, I could've sworn I heard a full-fledged laugh. Before she vanished.

Yeah, I was in trouble. The first hit struck me in the back, lurching me forward. My body didn't have much time to really react as another strike connected to my left side. Just as fast as she vanished, she reappeared by my side. I could hear the low giggles she emitted. Her division was loving it. Meanwhile, Shoukou ran to the balcony, seeing me reeling. And Ren standing right next to me..

"Of all the people Moren could've faced," she said to Myoto, who now sported a cast with a support connected to his midsection.

"He may end up worse than me," Myoto said, watching with a mix of worry and interest.

I felt soreness in the two struck areas, but I wasn't down. Yet.

"I'm sorry. It's just been a while since I actually fought. Can you please stay up a little longer? It may be a while before this happens again," she said. She held her arm out, and hung her head. Slowly, the zanpakuto rose to her side, spinning.

" ...Nekomata..." Multi-colored strings slowly escaped the blade, then disappeared. what was it with this invisibile stuff?

She rose her head, then moved her right arm - and so did I. She tilted her head to the left. Again, I copied her. She reached for her zanpakuto, and held it in front of her. I copied her again. I did not like where this was going. My head began to swim. Whatever happened, I may not be around long enough to feel. I hoped.

"We're both going to the infirmary. If I see you again. I'll tell you what happened," she said. I wish I could say that this was the time that I found out the name of my zanpakuto through some drawn out sequence, or that I shouted a random name, but I didn't. My arms and legs were burning, and my skin felt as if a million needles were being forced from it. My stomach was rumbling and burning. All the while, Ren stayed calm, then closed her eyes, lifting the zanpakuto over her head.

Helplessly, I did the same. I closed my eyes, expecting the worst possible feeling I could imagine.

The zanpakuto swung down with frightening speed and - it stopped. My body, still in a pained state, didn't feel a thing. Was this it? Had I escaped my body before the final blow? I opened my eyes to see Shoukou between both Ren and I, her shikai glowing, revealing the strings. My body fell, as well as Ren's. All was black, and I was fortunate enough to hear footsteps...

"...thankfully, she cut the strings in time. Those strings can sap energy from every pore in the body. She was draining him the whole while. Shoukou, thanks." said an officer of the Fourth. I made a mental check of my body, and it hurt to even think of what happened.

"Moren, I'm sorry. I can get a little carried away during battle." said a weak, yet feminine voice on my side. My body seemed to enter a new level of pain after hearing her voice. Ren stretched her hand out to mine, which was laying limp off the cot. I gave a weak handshake, then lay on my back, staring at the ceiling.

"Moren, are you okay?" It was Rora, who had just walked in.

"This is your chance," said a fellow officer. Rora, lost in thought for a minute, quickly figured out what was being proposed.

"Illuminate, Hotaru" she said. Her katana glowed reddish orange, then expanded into the shape of a square.

"A sort of X-ray. Like Shoukou's?" asked a voice. Rora nodded, allowing the shape to pass over my body. I felt the warmth, and feeling coming back. Rora had learned her shikai at a fast pace, which according to some sources, had impressed even the captain herself.

"But this is used for medical purposes. Sort of like an X-ray." she replied. The rest of my day went as follows: I eventually got too tired to feel the hurt, and let my body relax and eventually dozed off...

---

Author's Note: Thanks for reading, and don't be afraid to review as well!


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